riders. they will be outside the stations during the morning and evening commute. the church will give ashes to anyone of any faith who wants to participate. right now you're looking -- we're trying to get pictures from the vatican. >> this is the beginning of lent. season ends on easter day. spring training begins today. pitchers and catchers officially report to camp in florida. the full squad must report by saturday. a number of players are already in camp. the first spring training game is a week from saturday. they enter with high expectations. most think they're the frontrunners to win the national league east. if you remember the stunning season they had and the terrible way it ended, we're -- >> you mentioned the tact that baseball is getting started and tom kierein lights up like a little boy approximate excited to know the boys of summer are coming. >> i got my shin guards on.

i'm ready to go. this morning, we're thinking about snow maybe moving in. right now we have partly cloudy to mostly clear sky. it's clouding up to our south. southern maryland, parts of virginia. way out here in west virginia, there may be a few wet snowflakes showing up. but still quite a few hours away from any precipitation moving in. right now, it's cold. we're near freezing in the suburbs and montgomery county and in prince george's county. arlington and fairfax. generally the mid 30s there as well as the district of columbia and across west virginia, temperatures a little above 30s. we'll have rain in the afternoon hours but then changing 6:00 p.m. to 2:00 a.m. thursday to some snow. i don't think we're going to get much at all. less than an inch. in this light blue zone north of washington, west of washington and all of that just accumulating on grassy areas. the road temperatures should be way too warm for it to stick to

any roads. it may stick to a few roads. that's way out in western maryland. right along the pennsylvania border, with maryland and otherwise this is going to be a minor event. all rain elsewhere points south and east. >> i'm back in ten minutes. a look at your first 4 traffic is danella. good morning. we'll head to the beltway. crossing over the wilson bridge, an accident in the through lanes. now it's in the shoulder lane. this is as you travel the outer loop. it was in the through lanes, outer loop of the beltway. now that's out of the roadway. a live look at traffic across the wilson bridge getting by without any issues at all. prince george's county further in, this time at pennsylvania avenue, inner and outer loops are clear. as you loop around to montgomery county, a live look at connecticut avenue. if you're traveling the beltway in virginia, a couple work zones in place. we'll check them in ten minutes. 4:32. the massive manhunt for a former

lapd officer accused of going on a deadly rampage appears to be over. angie goff is at the live desk with more. >> police believe that search for that most wanted man in america right now, it is over. we just got word from investigators that they're trying to identify human remains found in the search for an accused cop killer. they found a charred body where they believe the ex-lapd officer christopher dorner barricaded himself. forensic tests have to be done now and dorner was holed up in that big bear cabin after he killed another officer during a gunfight with police. the officer killed is believed to be his fourth victim after he shot and killed three others this month. angie goff. one of police officers that detectives believe dorn oar killed, michael crane will be laid to rest today. crane and his partner were stopped at a red light when

according to police dorner drove up, opened fire on their car and fled. his partner was wounded but did survive. crane leaves behind a wife and two young children. the ecomony is once again front and center for president obama. it was the focus for nearly half of the president's speech. the president will visit an auto parts plant in asheville, north carolina today. creating middle class jobs providing technical and training increasing manufacturing are part of the plan outlined. he also sought to change the recent tone on capitol hill, which is focused heavily on the debt and spending cuts. >> most of us agree that a plan to reduce the deficit must be part of our agenda. let's be clear. deficit reduction alone is not an economic plan. it is not a bigger government we need but a smarter government that sets priorities and invests

in broad-based growth. now, central to the president's plan to "reignite the middle class" is education. he made an unexpected plan for higher quality preschool education. he wants to focus on math, science and technology. he asked congress to withhold federal aid to colleges who don't keep tuition costs down. he wants to raise the minimum wage to $9 and create a federal program to spur infrastructure project. the economy sen trick speech is prompting a strong spops fre from republicans. marco rubio said the president has an obsession to raising taxes. >> instead, we should grow our economy to create new taxpayers, not new taxes. so our government can afford to help those who truly cannot help themselves. >> rubio was followed up by

another conservative voice, rand paul, who offered the tea party response. while he also focused on the economy, he blamed both parties for failing voters. >> washington act in a way your family never could. they spend money they don't have. they borrow from future generationsment then they blame each other for never fixing the problem. tonight i urge you to demand a new course. demand washington change their ways or be sent home. paul and rubio also ride to characterize the president as a big government man at a time when smaller government is needed. >> gabrielle giffords deserves a vote. the families of newtown deserve a vote. the families of aurora deserve a vote. >> the night turned emotional when president turned to reducing gun violence. he named some of the biggest mass shootings in the past year and called on congress to vote on gun control in honor of the vic tils of those shootings.

many on hand wore green ribbons to remember those hurt and killed in the newtown shooting. the president mentioned universal background checks and smaller ammunition magazines but primarily used it as a rally cry to push a vote. the senate judiciary committee will have a hearing on immigration reform. homeland security secretary janet napolitano among those scheduled to testify. last night president obama urged congress to send him and immigration reform bill. he said they've tightened border security as well. for the first time since his surprise announcement that he's stepping down, we're hearing from the pope this morning. we'll go live to the vatican. also ahead, a look at jobs longer cruise ship passengers stranded at sea will be on a troubled ship. plus, sounding off. we're hearing from geogonzalez since performance enhancing drugs

welcome back. quickly before we go to weather. want to say hello to students a is vitted at elliott hine middle school. went to the radio production class they do there. interviewed by two of the young ladies in that class who asked a lot of really great questions. it's encouraging to see young people sort of look at our profession and sort of take a stab at it.

a little threatening at the same time. think did a great job and i appreciate the time. >> i had to think through. it's live. aits n internet radio broadcast that they do. had to be quick about it. similar to the way we do things here with producers and such. we want to go to live pictures of the vatican, pope benedict xvi. this will be his first ma mass celebration. this is live pictures on this ash wednesday much the beginning of the lent season in which christians will observe a time of reflection and prayer and of course, this will be an interesting season as pope benedict prepares for his final days as the pope. >> right. this is his regular weekly audience that you're watching live. just started a few minutes ago. the pope literally just took to the stage. later today, he'll hold that ash wednesday service as well.

a lot of folks who were not planning to be at vatican city changed their plans. we, of course, will continue to monitor this as a the morning continues and bring you updates as changes happen. now let's check the forecast. storm team 4 meteorologist tom kierein is here with changes. tom sm. >> clouds are rolling in from the south and west and producing some precipitation by later this afternoon. right now in the low to mid-30s most of the region. as we look at the day ahead, it's going to be chilly this morning but ought to climb into the 40s by 9:00. mid-40s by noontime. then rain developing early to mid-afternoon when the temperatures begin to drop and then changing to some snow. does look like some wet snow. mostly melting on most roadways as we get into the evening hours. i'll show you the totals i'm expecting and the seven-day outlook in ten minutes. a look at traffic now with danella. good morning. >> good morning. we'll head to virginia checking on roadwork.

outer loop of beltway, past little river turnpike, the left lane is blocked. closer to the interchange, another work zone, this time blocking left and right lane. you're seeing a bit of a delay from braddock. aaron and eun, back to you. >> the push to punish parents whose kids don't bother to show up for school. firing back ago the accusations of cheating. what gio gonzalez is telling fans. >> top dog. a look at which pampered pooch took best in show at the westminster dog show and

i'm angie goff at the live desk. pope benedict xvi makes his first public appearance since his decision to step down. we're looking at him moments ago walking into the church. he's actually -- these are going to be live pictures right now.

this is just moments ago when had he walked into the church. and there is the audience's response. just a huge warm welcome to the pope this morning. what he's doing, he's hosting a general audience. this is not a mass but a meeting that happens weekly between the pope and his faithful. he is going to celebrate his final ash wednesday mass. today might be the last time he actually leads mass. because of this, it's going to be held at st. peter's basilica instead of the normal place, the church of santa sa bin a on the evantino hill. we'll keep a close eye on vatican city and other changes expected today. at the live desk, angie goff, news 4. the party is over in the french quarter. now the cheenup begins in new orleans. mardi gras crowds party until midnight on bourbon street. an estimated 1 million people

traveled there this year and pumped about $144 million into that region's economy. now to new developments on that stranded cruise ship. the disabled carnival cruise ship could arrive in alabama as early as tonight after catching fire and losing fire over the weekend. tugboats are slowly pulling it. they're dragging the boat from southern mexico back to o the state. more than 3,000 passengers and crew members on board that ship right now. it has no power except for generators and customers are complaining about no running water or air circulation. carnival apologized and offered a full refund, plus a future cruise. >> today the family of a maryland baby found murdered will hold a vigil for her. montgomery county police say her 14-year-old uncle beat and suffocated her in in apartment in white oak. he was baby-sitting the baby while his sister was working. he's charged as an adult in her

death. tonight's vigil will be held tonight in silver spring. all training exercises are suspended after a maryland police trainee was shot in the head during an exercise. it happened on the ground of a closed psychiatric hospital in owings mill. the trainee was rushed to surgery and in critical condition. they're investigating the incident. the human rights watches -- about allegations mishandling cases. they say hundreds of cases were not documented. a private firm will look into the claims. kathy lanier was highly critical of the report when it was released in january. she claims it does not reflect the current culture of the department and the research methods were flawed. d.c. council is reconsidering language in a proposed school truancy bill. the provision requires parents of chronically truant students to be prosecuted. according to the washington post, more than 5,000 children missed more than a month of

class in the district last year. the proposed law would make d.c.'s attorney general prosecute cases after ten unexcused absences per school year. parents found guilty would have to take a parenting class, do community service or even face jail time. critics call the penalties harsh and he can pensive. gio gonzalez is confident his name will be cleared for using performance-enhancing drug. he insists he never used peds. >> at the end of the day, i've never taken performance-enhancing drugs and i never will. you're stunned, shocked, your name was brought up out of nowhere. you can't do nothing about it. you have to wait it out and listen to what's going on. you can't jump the gun or yum to conclusions. >> gonzalez says his father was a patient at the clinic at the heart of the investigation. he says his pear was a leg legitimate patient who went

there to lose weight. lawyers for barry bonds will ask a federal court to ask for his conviction to be thrown out. he was convicted of not answering whether he ever used performance-enhancing drugs. his lawyers say the answer was never misleading nor untrue. bonds is not expected to appear at the appeal and judges will rule on the case at a later date. for the first time this season, the capitals are on a winning streak. >> a lead. it's sew solo. score! >> the caps stormed back from a two-goal deaf stoit force overtime and brour thrilled the team to a win. alex ovechkin chipped in a goal. they stay in florida and take on the lightning on thursday. virginia has bragging rights over virginia tech this year when it comes to college hoops. the cavaliers trounced the hokies, 73-55 last night in charlottesville. it was uvas second win.

the cavs won by 16 points in blacksburg. they're in second place in the acc. the cavalier take on north carolina this saturday. soon you'll be able to leave your friend a ticket without leaving your seat. ticketmaster will let you transfer ticket digitally. you and a friend or family member will need to have the mobile app. you just sign into the account and e-mail your ticket. the feature hopes to be up and running this spring. america's top dog is only about a foot tall and weighs less than 15 pounds. an affenpinscher named banana joe won the westminster kennel club dog show. he beat out the english sheepdog nee named bugaboo. a bijon frise was the winner of the nonsporting group. an american fox hound finished first in the hound group. you'll see banana joe live, of

course, on the "today" show after "news4 today." it's such a fun show to see the breeds. they're so cute. >> it really is. professional. if you can say that about an animal. >> they're trained for this kind of performance. good for them. congrats. let's turn to tom kierein for an update on the forecast. >> this morning, we have clouds rolling in. we might get a little wet snow by the time you head back home. right now, we've got a mostly cloudy sky over washington. north and west, though, it's mostly clear. kind of partly cloudy and 36 at reagan national. by 6:00 a.m., our temperatures will be climbing into the upper 30s or so. later today, up into the mid-40s. right now, we have temperatures right near the freezing mark in montgomery county, arlington, fairfax, prince george's and we'll have those temperatures hold steady here as we've got the precipitation now beginning to roll our way. all rain now, kentucky, indiana, tennessee. that's going to be moving to

closer to washington. no precipitation around the metro area. no travel problems weatherwise. clouds on the increase. the areas in green. scattered light rain may be moving in perhaps around 2:00 into the metro area. some steadier light rain by around 4:30, 5:00. then this area in the lavender, that's wet snow that may move into the shenandoah valley by then. this evening by 9:00, may still be raining in washington points south and east. north and west, this could be accumulating wet snow and quickly zipping out. this is as of 2:00 tomorrow morning. heading out over the eastern show and clearing out over that. here are the totals i'm expecting. less than an inch on grassy areas. north and west of the region. melting on roadways and farther north along the pennsylvania border, there may be one to two inches. through the morning hours, we'll be holding steady in the 30s. into the 40s by 9:00. by noontime, the mid-40s with clouds around. in the afternoon time period, we'll get the rain and changing over to snow overnight tonig

and ending by midnight or so after that. on thursday, sun back in the 40s. might get flurries on friday night. but before then, nice day. up near 50 friday afternoon but maybe flurries as cold air moves in friday night and off and on flurries possible on saturday. highs reaching the mid and upper 30s. a cold day sunday with sunshine. afternoon highs -- still cold monday with sunshine. next chance of precipitation looks to be rain on tuesday. i'm back with frequent updates throughout the morning. next one is ten minutes. first 4 traffic with danella. tom, we'll start and head down i-95 in virginia making the trip out of stafford heading northbound towards dale city. nice and clear. a live look past dumfries road. north, southbound, clear, continuing all the way to 395. no issues to report. on 395, checking for construction, accidents, no delays. none of that. nice and clear commute heading towards the 14th street bridge. traveling along i-270 in

maryland, your commute is coming up in ten minutes. over to you. >> 4:54 now. more than halfway through winter and our area has not seen a major snowstorm yet. that has left plenty of money for coffers in d.c. and virginia. it's spent more than half of its budgeted $41 million this winter. the highway administration says repeated deployments have drained part of the budget. but in virginia, it's only deployed crews about a dozen times. >> there's a big effort to stage crews now. to stage everywhere on o the interstates and neighborhoods, on secondary roads. so that we're more prepared during rush hours. >> the maryland highway administration says it has enough money and resources to get through the winter. a senate committee put the brakes on mcdonnell's transportation plan. the new version includes the gas tax the governor want eliminated. it also adds a 1% fuel sales tax and allows local governments to add another 1%.

the senate will vote later this week on that bill. it will then be up to the house to decide its fate. lawmakers will likely recorrect the new plan. more picture problems for the duchess of cambridge. coming up, what's in the latest photos of katherine that has the royal family so upset. talk about a mistake that can't be fixed. what's being blamed for the blunder that took down a 140-year-old tree. storms heading towards the d.c. area. who could be dealing with snow wh

♪ ♪ if loving you is wrong ♪ i don't wanna be right [ record scratch ] what?! it's not bad for you. it just tastes that way. [ female announcer ] honey nut cheerios cereal -- heart-healthy, whole grain oats. you can't go wrong loving it. bee happy. bee healthy. with clusters of flakes and o's. oh, ho ho... it's the honey sweetness. i...i mean, you...love.

folks are putting their lives back together after hurricane sandy. it was the second most expensive hurricane to date. the hurricane caused an estimated $50 billion worth of damage from canada to florida while most of sandy's damage centered over new jersey and new york, high winds and rising water affected people all along the east coast o. sandy falls behind hurricane katrina which caused roughly $108 billion in damage in 2005. happening today, d.c. fire chief kenneth ellerby will speak on the state of the fire department. he will speak to firefighters, paramedics and guests at udc. last year a group of firefighters walked out during his speech ar after he proposed changes to work schedules from 24-hour shifts to